Uplifting images by Harbury artist show Brits in all their glory

It was a taxi driver’s anecdote about a French man’s mispronunciation of the ‘Union Jack’ after which Jan Freeman named her quirky series, Onion Jake.

Depicting ordinary British people in all their glory, the large-scale, colourful and cheeky works in a variety of inventive materials all include a Union Flag somewhere for the viewer to spot.

Having recently created some new additions to the collection, Jan, who only learnt how to paint and draw at the age of 31, is preparing to pitch it to the commercial world at the Spring Fair at the NEC in Birmingham.

She said: “Getting a stand at this fair has been a huge investment for me, but I’m hoping that my Onion Jake series might stand out to a big card company or family restaurant chain.

“When you see the paintings in real life, they are quite large, very colourful and very striking. There is nothing like them out on the market that I know of.

“I like to cheer people up. The paintings are uplifting.”

Formerly a French teacher, Jan enrolled in an art course in the United States while her husband was spending some time working there and, after realising she had a talent, pursued art as a career.

The 52-year-old now works from her Harbury studio, teaches art classes two days a week and is happy to run demonstrations and workshops for art clubs.

She will be showcasing her Onion Jake series, which is available to view online, at the Birmingham event from Saturday to Thursday February 9.

Jan will also be presenting other works as part of the Warwickshire Open Studios event (formerly Warwickshire Artsweek) this summer.

www.onionjake.com

web.mac.com/janfreemanartist